Hi List,
I'd love to hear about your experiences of management processes in dealing with
sickness absence and the medical information contained in the Fit note. Here's an
example of what I see is a conflict with the protection of an employee's confidential
medical details - I'd be very grateful for some of your own examples.
The sickness absence policy instructs the employee to firstly ring the manager, who
wants to know the reason for the absence. Employee tends to give details of illness
to manager in response to "Why, what's wrong with you?" Employee then submits
a fit note at the required period of absence. The fit note is submitted to the manager.
Of course the fit note has the diagnosis on it.
Cue referral to Occ Health, reassurances about medical confidentiality,followed by report
devoid of the medical information which is already known to management!
Occ Health sometimes is last to see the fit note.
I know of some organisations where HR handles the fit notes / medical reports and then
disseminates the appropriate information minus medical diagnosis to management.
Experiences, views, opinions all gratefully received.
Thank you in advance,
Roisin
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